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Indianapolis Star
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
‘We're not here to watch them.' Was Indy 500 lessened by hybrid, rules? Drivers weigh in
DETROIT — In the wake of two consecutive years featuring last-lap passes for the win in the Indianapolis 500 – a race that has only had four such finishes in its century-plus history — Pato O'Ward, twice a runner-up, called this year's edition a 'boring, pretty crap race' from his position finishing fourth at the checkered flag. Or was it sixth? The Arrow McLaren driver remained worried post-race that the two nearly (but not completely) lapped cars of Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster might've confused casual fans while their presence largely prevented any high-action battles for the lead in the final 10 laps of Alex Palou's first Indy 500 win on Sunday. Though opinions weren't uniform across the paddock, O'Ward was not alone in his frustration. 'That's just not a finish an Indy 500 race deserves. People want to be excited and see an exhilarating finish,' O'Ward said Monday evening ahead of the Indy 500 victory celebration. 'Last year, that was a race. That was a friggin' race. I know I didn't end up winning, but I think it's safe to say that was a race. '2023? That was a race. 2022? Those are the fights I believe everyone really looks forward to having, and that last bit was ruined by that.' The culprits that have drawn the ire of O'Ward, his Arrow McLaren teammate Christian Lundgaard, Team Penske's Will Power and others? The presence of two cars at the back of the lead lap down the closing stretch that effectively made Palou, on-track runner-up Marcus Ericsson and Co. feel as if they were battling in a pack — something that's near impossible to do at the moment with the additional 100-plus pounds of IndyCar's hybrid system that debuted in the 500 this month. The way the 500 ended has been a sticking point for Power for years, because, unlike in Formula 1 — where a car that is about to be overtaken by the race leader, putting them one lap down — IndyCar rules do not require slower cars to move over until they're about to go two laps down. In layman's terms, Foster and DeFrancesco had no obligation to swerve aside once Palou or Ericsson reached their rear wings in the closing laps because, according to IndyCar's rule book, cars on the lead lap are allowed to fight to stay there, and not until a car has been lapped by all the lead-lap cars it need to cede track. The idea behind IndyCar's long-held rules is that a car that hasn't yet been lapped stands to be put right back into a prime position to pick up spots, should a caution come out and require a restart with the field bunched back up. To Power, that's not enough of an excuse over the final 10 laps or so to ruin what could have been an edge-of-your-seat finish between Palou, the most dominant driver of the last couple years, Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner and 2023 500 runner-up. 'Fans want to see first- and second-place doing what the last cars on the lead lap were doing, going back and forth, and that's what you would've gotten with (more than) 8 million people watching at the end (on Fox). It's a pity, it's a pity,' Power said. 'We're not here to watch (DeFrancesco and Foster). 'Can you imagine? (Palou and Ericsson) would've been going back and forth, but it was smart for (Alex) to just sit there and stay in the draft, and to be honest, you could pay someone to do that for you. At the end of the race, you could just have one of your team cars who's out of it back up and go back and forth, and there's nothing in the rules that says you can't do that. You absolutely can do that and win that way.' DeFrancesco, who finished 14th on track before advancing up to 11th due to post-race tech inspection penalties, acknowledged that those hopes for a late-race caution were precisely why he and his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate traded spots back and forth during Sunday's closing laps, while staying just far enough out of reach of Palou to maintain their lead-lap position. 'I get (other drivers' frustration), but at the time, I was doing as instructed, and that's the way it works out sometimes,' DeFrancesco said. 'It's a tough one. I understand from their point of view, but it's not my place to comment or decide. We have the IndyCar stewards in place to make that decision, and we followed the rules.' Insider: Fox's Indy 500 broadcast hit 17-year high. What happens next is important for IndyCar's growth Scott Dixon, Palou's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, backed DeFrancesco's sentiments. 'They're on their own race, too,' he said. 'I think people who are going to complain are the people that lost. It's just how the cycle of the race worked out, and good for Alex.' Added Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin: 'It's the luck of the draw in IndyCar racing. At the end of the day, that's just how it works. There were no yellows, and those guys were trying to stay in the game on the lead lap, and if there's a yellow, those guys are back in the race.' Somewhat surprisingly, Sunday's first-time 500 winner has mixed feelings about the topic. 'In my opinion, (showing them a blue flag) is what I would've liked, yes. You always want no traffic cars when you're going for the end of the race, but they've always left those cars there because they're on the lead lap,' Palou told IndyStar on Monday afternoon. 'But then at every track when there's 30% of the race to go, that's it, they shouldn't be up there, but the rules are like that, and Helio (Castroneves) used them the same way I did.' As Palou made a point to note Sunday evening, the three-time IndyCar champ was forced to settle for runner-up in his first Indy 500 with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 because Castroneves, who was running second behind Palou with just under two laps to go, looked up the track and noticed the pair was quickly approaching (nearly) lapped traffic. So in a race where in clean air the car second in line could pass at ease, Castroneves took what to Palou seemed as if it was a bit premature pass back for the lead. But soon after, the pair essentially joined the train of cars ahead, and in the turbulent air, Palou no longer had an easy pass to make on Castroneves, and he'd remain a few too many car lengths back for the final five miles of the race headed toward the checkered flag. '(Sunday) wasn't boring for me. I was very tense,' said Palou in reference to O'Ward's 'boring' comment about the race that was from his view. 'I mean, would it be better without traffic? Maybe, maybe not. 'It was the situation we were in, and I think he'd probably change his words if he was the guy winning.' The idea that the third or fourth car in line would have difficulty passing a car directly ahead, even if the one trailing was the eventual Indy 500 winner, and the one ahead was a mid-pack car at best, has been a feature of the 500 and IndyCar for a couple years now, as a car that debuted in 2012 has continued to take on more and more weight than it was ever intended to run with. But the addition of the 100-plus pounds related to IndyCar's move to hybrid technology has only exacerbated the issue over the last 11 months, leading to several races with abnormally low numbers of on-track passes, historically long caution-free droughts and passes for the lead on road and street courses that are few and far between. Technology that IndyCar and manufacturer leaders pledged would improve the racing product has, at least in reference to the competitive side of the sport, hampered what cars can do. Though we still saw several passes for the lead throughout Sunday's race from cars jumping one spot up from second-place — as well as a notable highlight-reel move from Conor Daly that saw the Juncos Hollinger Racing driver leap to the lead from third — the Indy car's lack of nimbleness has only further hampered what was already a car, many drivers believe, past the point of no return. 'I think you'd head the same from everybody: (the hybrid) is kinda useless,' Lundgaard said. 'I don't think any one of us really enjoy it. It doesn't give us any benefit, and I think it's just made the racing worse. 'It just causes more problems than it does good.' IndyCar's "car problem," Lundgaard said, has only been worsened by promises of a new car that have been kicked down the road for more than half a decade, now with promises of a new one either in 2027 or 2028. And so the fact a new one wasn't yet ready when IndyCar reached do-or-die mode with its need to shift to hybrid technology to appease its manufacturers, the change only made worse the Frankenstein monster of a car. 'I think the Blackhawk helicopters flying over us (on the pace laps) was the highlight of the day,' Lundgaard said of his 500 that ended with a ninth-place finish on-track and a seventh-place finish in the final results. 'Get (the hybrid) out of the car and give us a new car as quick as possible. We've known for a long time that a new car was coming, but it keeps getting moved, and that's a problem.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Detroit Grand Prix: Narrow course causing trouble during practice laps
If you've ever gotten stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic downtown, the drivers in the Detroit Grand Prix are feeling your pain. During the first practice session for the IndyCar Series' Detroit Grand Prix on Friday, May 30 — the first time these racers drove on the 2025 course before Sunday's big race — IndyCar veteran Will Power latched onto the back of Kyle Kirkwood's car and pushed him through turns 5 and 6 in front of the Renaissance Center. It was an unconventional move, especially during a practice session, but Kirkwood had a quick explanation for Power's behavior: Advertisement "The track's not big enough to fit all the cars, and he got frustrated." Whether Power agrees with that is debatable — Power said he was just trying to "find a gap" — but it does mirror what many drivers are saying about the Detroit course: There's very little space to maneuver. At just under 1.7 miles in length, the course at the Detroit Grand Prix is the shortest street course on the IndyCar circuit. It's also narrower than many street courses, especially at the turns, giving these drivers very little space and room for error. "What makes it difficult here is it's such a short track. We have 27 cars going on a 1.6-mile track. It doesn't really add up," said Christian Lundgaard, who drives for Arrow McLaren. "It's frustrating, but at the end of the day, it's the same for everyone." Advertisement A.J. Foyt Racing's David Malukas was driving in front of the latch-on moment between Power and Kirkwood (though he initially thought it was Marcus Ericsson that Power had latched onto instead of Kirkwood) and said it was like something out of a film: Team Penske's Will Power enters Turn 2 as NTT IndyCar Series drivers compete during Detroit Grand Prix in downtown Detroit on Sunday, June 2, 2024. THE NEXT GENERATION: Grosse Pointe Indy NXT driver Nolan Allaer coming home for the Detroit Grand Prix "I couldn't believe it. I was very confused at the start. I thought, like, something was wrong with Ericsson, and Power was towing him across, like the 'Cars' movie." Malukas also spoke about how quickly the track can turn from wide to narrow: "I'll be surprised if there's not going to be a yellow (flag) for this race," he said. "Turn 1, it's very wide on entry and it looks inviting. And then all of a sudden it gets very, very tight on exit. And it happens a lot around this track." Advertisement In addition to the encounter between Power and Kirkwood, the practice session saw a collision from Juncos Hollinger racer Sting Ray Robb, whose front tires locked up as he glided softly into the tire barrier at Turn 1. Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Álex Palou also turned out into a safe area when experiencing difficulties on the track, choosing to preserve his car instead of risking a wreck later on. It's not just the narrowness of the course that these drivers have to navigate. During a luncheon on Thursday, May 29, Detroit Grand Prix chair Bud Denker compared the difficulties of Detroit's track to a similar street course on the IndyCar circuit: "The Long Beach Grand Prix is almost the same distance as our race here. There are seven manhole covers on the Long Beach Grand Prix race track. We have 215." Though Denker says the Grand Prix has worked to try to smooth out the course's roughest edges, including those 215 manhole covers, the track has already played a big part in a dust-up two days before the big race starts. Advertisement Power appeared to smile when he reviewed the footage of his car pushing Kirkwood's during the practice lap. But Kirkwood, who finished with the fastest time among all drivers during the practice session, had the last laugh: "I'm not upset. I don't care," he said. "We had damage from that, too, so maybe we (could have been) a little bit faster." You can reach Christian at cromo@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Narrow course causes issue during practice laps at Detroit Grand Prix
Fox Sports
a day ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: Drivers Waste Little Time Finding Limit in Detroit
INDYCAR With the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in the mirrors of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the road ahead features 11 races at 10 venues to end the season. The pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup is in high gear. Up next: Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood turned the fastest lap of the first practice on the downtown street circuit, but the No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda sat quiet on pit road for most of the session after taking rear contact from Team Penske's Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) in a two-corner shove that might foreshadow another chaotic race. Mid-race rain and eight cautions slowed last year's 100-lapper, and there was additional car-to-car contact that didn't necessitate a yellow flag. Here are three takeaways from what has transpired in this event after one on-track session: An Adventurous First Practice The 27 car-and-driver combinations have already pushed the limits of the nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit. If the contact between Power and Kirkwood wasn't enough, Juncos Hollinger Racing's Sting Ray Robb (No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet) nosed into the tire barrier, and a slew of other drivers directed their cars to run-off areas to avoid wall contact. The question was, who didn't have a tire lockup on the bumpy streets? One of those who scooted off course was Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet). He finished second on the speed chart, which is a morale boost after the New Zealander crashed out of the '500' before the race even started. Indy's top two finishers, Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) and AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technology Chevrolet), went off course in this weekend's first practice session without contact. Basically, no harm no foul. But again, maybe it's a preview of what's to come for the third race held on this circuit. The drivers will get more track time Saturday in the form of a second practice (9 a.m. ET) and qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (noon ET). Both sessions will air live on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Sunday's 100-lap race is on FOX at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Race for Second With Palou clutching a staggering 112-point lead after winning five of the season's first six races, the standings reflect a battle for second place. As it stands, it's Arrow McLaren teammates Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) and Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) tussling for that position. O'Ward leads Lundgaard by 13 points. The battle for second applies to races, as well. Five different drivers have finished second in the season's first six races. That's Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, O'Ward in The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Thermal Club, Palou in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Lundgaard in the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, O'Ward in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and Malukas in the '500.' Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Siemens Honda) finished second to Dixon in last year's Detroit race, and he considers this his best track on the schedule, which is saying a lot since he has had three outstanding drives in the '500,' including a win in 2022. Dixon, who has 58 career race wins, has 52 career runner-up race finishes. Both totals rank second all time in their respective categories. Chip Ganassi's Honda-powered team has won both downtown street races in Detroit – Palou in 2023, Dixon last year. Lundgaard: Palou Can't Win 'for the Rest of His Life' Lundgaard scored his best finish in the '500' – he was seventh – and continues to be one of the drivers on the upswing. Lundgaard believes he is having a championship-worthy season, but there's not a lot more he can do until Palou bobbles. 'He can't win the rest of the races for the rest of his life,' Lundgaard said of the Spaniard who was a surprising 15th on Friday's speed chart. 'They're doing everything extremely well. They're executing every opportunity they have, and even if they do make a mistake, they make up for it at the next opportunity they have. It's just a really strong group, and they're just good at every (type of circuit). There is no real weakness. 'But it doesn't take much (to slip up). A small bit of contact, and he's out of a race, you know? It could be (not) his fault, and that could end the streak.' Lundgaard had the fifth-best lap in Friday's practice. O'Ward was seventh. Both hope to be in position to capitalize on Palou's misfortune, if or when that ever comes. recommended
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Instant Recall: 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge
INDYCAR Can an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge be predictable and unpredictable? Sunday's certainly was. Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou was the heavy favorite to win the 109th Running, and he did. Perhaps his drive in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda wasn't as dominating as his other NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories in recent years, but he executed in the closing laps like the series champion he is. He led the final 14 laps after passing Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson approaching Turn 1 on Lap 187. Palou has been worthy of a place on the Borg-Warner Trophy almost since the moment he joined Chip Ganassi's team in 2021. That first year, Palou was leading two laps from the checkered flag only to have Helio Castroneves wiggle past. The next year, an inopportune mid-pace caution sent the Spaniard, who was leading, to 30th in the order. Palou scrambled back to finish ninth, and his story was similar in 2023 when he charged back to finish fourth after taking pit road contact from Rinus VeeKay. Last year he finished fifth. Palou's average finish in the past five '500s' is 4.2, and his mark in the six series races this year is 1.17. So, yeah, it's not a surprise that he drank the milk in Victory Lane. Other expected happenings on Sunday: Team Penske's Josef Newgarden of Team Penske drove like the two-time '500' winner he is. While forced to start on the last row due to penalties assessed in PPG Presented Armed Forces Qualifying, Newgarden astutely held back at the drop of the initial green flag and avoided Marco Andretti's spin, and he then marched forward. Many thought that if Newgarden could be in the top 10 by Lap 100, he'd been squarely in the hunt for the unprecedented three-peat. He was 10th. Newgarden was in sixth on Lap 132 when he realized something was amiss with the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet. A fuel pressure issue ended his day. Aside from that, it was the day everyone expected. The final results won't reflect how well 2022 '500' winner Ericsson drove in the No. 28 Allegra Honda of Andretti Global. He led 17 laps and appeared to have finished second for the second time in three years before his car failed post-race technical inspection. History will show him 31st of 33. Regardless, Ericsson showed that he continues to be one of Indy's best drivers of this generation. Like Palou and Newgarden, Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward and AJ Foyt Racing's Santino Ferrucci have been among the best finishers in recent '500s,' and they continued that Sunday. O'Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to extend his string of success to five top-six finishes in six races, and his 2023 race ended with a crash on Lap 193 trying to pass for second. Ferrucci finished fifth in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet to notch his record-extending seventh straight top-10 finish to open his Indy career. AJ Foyt Racing continued its excellence in recent '500s.' In addition to Ferrucci, David Malukas finished second in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet as A.J. Foyt's team placed two cars in the top five for the first time since 2000 when Eliseo Salazar finished third with Jeff Ward fourth. As a whole, former Indy winners excelled. Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) and Takuma Sato (2017 and 2020) combined to lead 99 of the 200 laps. Hunter-Reay, who led 48 laps in the Indy-only entry of DRR-Cusick Motorsports, fell out of contention when his No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet, likely out of fuel, stalled on pit exit on Lap 169. Sato slid past his pit box on a stop at Lap 86 in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's No. 75 AMADA Honda. Sato finished ninth, Hunter-Reay 21st. Castroneves finished 10th in the No. 06 Cliffs Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Ed Carpenter Racing's Alexander Rossi also had a great chance to win for a second time, which is why he threw his gloves in frustration as his No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet caught fire on pit road. The unpredictability of Indy was on full display, especially early. The list of high-profile drivers who had early issues was lengthy. It started with Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin, who crashed his No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet on the frontstretch warming his tires before the start of the race. He was devastated, describing it as a 'rookie' mistake. Also with early issues were Andretti (a Turn 1 spin in the No. 98 MAPEI/Curb Honda of Andretti Herta w/Marco & Curb-Agajanian), Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (a brake fire in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), Andretti Global's Colton Herta (a pit speed violation on Lap 61 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda). Herta finished 14th, Dixon 20th and Andretti 29th. Team Penske's top finisher was Will Power in 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. None of Roger Penske's cars led a lap, the second time that's happened in the past four years. Team Penske also was shut out among the lap leaders in 2022. Several teams had pit road issues, including Dale Coyne Racing's VeeKay (contact in the No. 18 askROI Honda), Rossi, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Louis Foster (the rookie twice received pit road speeding penalties), DRR-Cusick Motorsports' Jack Harvey (the No. 24 DRR CUSICK INVST Chevrolet got flagged for speeding) and pole sitter Robert Shwartzman (the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet struck crew members). The post-race technical inspection failures of Ericsson, Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood and PREMA Racing's Callum Ilott. They had taken the checkered flag in the second, sixth and 12th positions, but they were dropped to 31st, 32nd and 33rd. There were many other highlights: Palou earned the first oval victory of his career, pushing his total number of wins to 16 to tie him with Dan Wheldon for 31st place on the sport's all-time list. Palou also has a whopping 112-point lead – a gap of more than two races' worth of points – on the field heading to this weekend's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear as he pursues his third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years. FOX Sports earned impressive ratings, with more than 7 million people tuning in to the race. It's the biggest audience for the '500' since 2008. The sellout crowd that approached 350,000 was the second in modern '500' history, as IMS also sold all grandstand seats for the 100th Indy 500 in 2016. recommended
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
'Really difficult moment': Doug Boles is hopeful after Indy 500 penalties, controversies
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series president Doug Boles and three drivers sent to the back of the Indianapolis 500 finishing order focused on the future at Monday night's victory banquet. Boles said the controversies over the previous week — including the penalties assessed to two Team Penske cars post-qualifying — strengthened his faith in those in the paddock. "Unfortunately, I've had to have some difficult conversations with those great teams and those great people, including last night and this morning," he said. "It's a really difficult moment for all of us. But I think it's a moment we can use to move forward." Boles said he offered Callum Ilott, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson the chance to skip the banquet, but they showed up. Those drivers' cars failed post-race inspection and were penalized. Ilott had finished 12th but is shown 33rd; Kirkwood, from sixth to 32nd; and Ericsson from second to 31st. Boles ended his speech on a hopeful note, noting the strong TV ratings and reserved seating sellout. "We're going to go in the right direction," he said. "If you're on board with us, you're going to have a great ride. If you're not on board with us, you better get going because we're just going up." Race earnings, total purse: How much money did Alex Palou win in the Indy 500? Ilott, who drives for Prema Racing, said he heard about his penalty midday Monday: "I was at brunch, and it was ruined, unfortunately." Ericsson and Kirkwood drive for Andretti Global. Eventual winner Alex Palou passed Ericsson with 14 laps remaining, and Kirkwood had improved 17 places from his starting spot of 23rd. "It's been an emotional 24 hours, to say the least," said Ericsson, who was gutted on Sunday. The 2022 race winner also finished second in 2023, so he knows Indy 500 close calls. "We had an incredible car. I thought I had the best race car I've ever had," Kirkwood said. "This team is built on sportsmanship and integrity, and we'll do everything right in the future."
